Newness inspires at Moda

06-Aug-2017

Moda has closed its first day on a high after a buoyant day of trading across its five sectors. New brands in particular were in demand as buyers sought out newness for the s/s 18 season.

"There's no denying that the footfall was here, and that was apparent from the moment the doors opened," says key account manager Sean Ashby at new arrival O'Neill. "There were lots of different types of retailers here from fashion boutiques to bigger buyers, so we are looking forward to finding our niche over the next few days."

Global footwear label Unisa was also amongst Moda's 100 debutantes showcasing collections for the very first time.

"Moda Footwear has definitely exceeded our expectations,"says UK agent Sam Hunt.. "We've been busy all day and, although it's the first time we've had children's styles, we've taken orders across both children's and ladies'."

Over in Moda Woman, fellow newcomer November Rain enjoyed a similarly buoyant first day at the show. "It's been consistently busy," says founder Belinda Coker. "The brand has had a great reaction from fashion boutiques, and it's been a good opportunity to tell the story behind the brand and explain about the causes that we support with our profits."

Other newcomers took the opportunity to connect with Moda's extensive cross-section of buyers across all sectors of the fashion industry.

"We have come back to Moda mainly because the brands have evolved and it's a good chance to reconnect with the industry on several levels," says Benjamin Dyl, multi account manager. "We have three brands now each with its own distinct identity and target audience, and we can meet all of our target buyers here. We've already opened new accounts and met with some existing ones, so it's been good first day."

This season also saw the launch of Body/Active, Moda's brand new dedicated platform for athleisure and activewear brands. The launch was accompanied by dedicated catwalk seasons and live demonstrations of athleisure in action, bringing the much-celebrated product sector into the context of the wider fashion industry.

Activewear label Boudavida took the opportunity to launch at the event, unveiling its high-quality and wearable collection of sportswear for the first time, and revealing the charitable causes behind its brand.

"Boudavida is a new launch, and we wanted to get the brand in front of people so that they can really touch and feel the quality," says sales & operations manager Anna Tait. "There is also a story behind the brand as we work with charitable causes, donating a percentage of our profits to causes we believe in such as Little Mermaids, which boosts the self-esteem and positive body image of young girls through involvement sport."

For established agents meanwhile, Moda was the first choice to launch new labels within a tried and trusted environment. As the new distributor for Scholl, Coccoon Partners took the opportunity to introduce the new identity of the collection to UK buyers at Moda Footwear.

"We've had a busy first day," says partner Rob Sewell. "The best thing about Moda is that it is a true three day show - you can do as much business on the third day as you do on the first."